1. Field of the Invention
This invention generally relates to a method and system that can monitor and communicate a user's usage of interfaces of plural target applications of an application unit by using at least one Dynamic Linked Library (DLL) shared between the plural target applications.
2. Discussion of the Background
With the rise of computer usage, software development has clearly become a significant business. In evaluating software, it may be beneficial to monitor exactly how a user utilizes a software application. As an example, it may be helpful for a software developer to know which commands a user uses most often and how long those commands take to execute. Such an analysis is often referred to as “profiling.” (Analogous analysis was performed on instructions in instruction sets to develop reduced instruction set computing (RISC) instructions.)
Further, in designing devices with which a human interacts, it may be desirable to monitor how the user interacts with such a device. As an example, it may be desirable to monitor how a user utilizes a control panel of an image forming device such as a photocopier, facsimile machine, printer, scanner, an appliance such as a microwave oven, VCR, digital camera, cellular phone, palm top computer, etc.
Further, users are increasingly utilizing the Internet. There is significant interest in how users use the Internet, particularly with respect to how users may use certain web pages. Monitoring a user's usage of the Internet may also become significant.
It may also be desirable to determine how a user is utilizing a certain application unit (e.g., a computer running a software application, a device with an interface to be operated by a user, or a web page). The user's usage of the application unit must be monitored and effectively communicated to a remote party.